Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, discussed Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open 2024 victory, highlighting how the Italian victory might mark a turning point in the history of tennis.
Uncle Toni thinks the Italian has now made the big move to establish his legitimacy as Carlos Alcaraz’s primary opponent.
Toni expressed his remarks about Sinner’s final heroics and said: “I started to think that Jannik would not be able to resist and overcome the nerves that such a duel implies. But it was precisely in the next game that he managed to release his anxiety and began to hit the ball with greater speed. From that moment on, and when I talked about it with my children, he didn’t miss a single point.”
He added: “When a player’s shots are no longer enough to win, he has no choice but to resort to tactics. But Medvedev didn’t even have a choice. The Italian’s power and precision destroyed him.”
Toni concluded his discussion and said: “Once the match was over, I commented on the match with my children. I fear that this big and significant step could change the landscape of tennis in the coming years. Although Sinner had long been considered Alcaraz’s most likely rival, he lacked a victory of that magnitude to back it up. He will be our tennis player’s biggest rival in the coming years.”
Toni Nadal says Jannik Sinner lacked an important victory, but after winning Australian Open, he will definitely be Carlos Alcaraz’ main rival for years to come:
“When a player's shots are no longer enough to win, he has no choice but to resort to tactics. But Medvedev didn't… pic.twitter.com/rJrclvclhX
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 2, 2024
Carlos Alcaraz in 2024
At the moment ranked no.2, Alcaraz played his last match on the 24th of January when he lost to world no.6 Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4 in the quarter of the Australian Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season Carlos achieved an overall 4-1 win-loss record.
Alcaraz will compete next in Buenos Aires (Argentina Open). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 12th of February.
Jannik Sinner in 2024
Now the world no.4 (career-high), Sinner played his last match on the 28th of January when he beat world no.3 Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 in the final of the Australian Open to win his 12th career title.
Presently, during this year the Italian has a composed 7-0 record. This year, Sinner won 1 title at the Australian Open.
Sinner is scheduled to compete next in Marseille (Open 13 Provence). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 5th of February.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner clashed against each other 8 times. The head to head is 4-4. Before, the last time they locked horns, Jannik Sinner won 7-6(4) 6-1 in the semifinal in Beijing (China Open) in October 2023.
Here the video highlights.